Jul
20
2012
Note by Kathryn: Today's
guest blog post, written by one of the students in Kathryn's Indian
Gaming Law course, is by third-year law student Julia Monyak.Business
Student Guest Blog: Santa Barbara Indian Band Approves Grants to Local County Agencies
Jun
27
2012
Today's guest blog, by a student in Kathryn's Indian Gaming Law course, is by third-year law student Laton Lohmann.A Santa Barbara American Indian Band has made a significant financial contribution to Santa Barbara County entities, including the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. The Santa Barbara County Indian Gaming Community Benefit Committee approved a total of $736,700 in grants from the State Special Distribution Fund (SDF) to the above agencies on May 29th, 2012.
Tribal-Private Gaming Partnership in Minnesota
Jun
5
2012
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota Community and the private Canterbury Park racetrack have cut a deal. The Shakopee operate the highly successful Mystic Lake Casino, just down the road from Canterbury Park's horse track near the metropolitan Twin Cities area in Minnesota. In the past, they've been competitors. And that competition has stepped up as the Park pursues slot machines. But in a cooperative move, the Tribe and the Park have reached an agreement: the Tribe will contribute to the Park's horse racing purse, and the Park will give up its bid for slots. As the Star-Tribune reports, Tough Times in Reno - Silver Legacy Bankrupt
May
24
2012
The Silver Legacy, opened in 1995 at a cost of more than $300 million as one of Reno's premier casinos, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.The move is cited as a troubling example of Reno's inability to maintain a sustainable market for California tourists.
Gambling revenue in Reno has dropped by a third since 2000. In addition to the lack of rebound from local and national recession, steady competition from Northern California's tribal casinos, especially the Thunder Valley Casino near Lincoln, is cited as a primary cause.
Latest Gambling Industry Statistics from AGA
May
10
2012
The American Gaming Association is the best resource for statistics regarding the legalized gambling industry. The AGA just released its 2012 "State of the States" report, which provides national and state-by-state economic impact data, including
gaming revenues, tax contributions, and employment and wage figures for
the 22 states with commercial casinos operating in 2011. The report is downloadable from the AGA website.Reno Casinos Blame California Tribal Gaming for Financial Woes
Mar
20
2012
In this Sacramento Bee story, casinos in Reno are described as having "fallen victim" to California tribal casinos in recent years. The latest is the Silver Legacy Resort, where we stayed several years ago for tribal-state mediation training at the nearby National Judicial College. The Silver Legacy is a newer casino, less than 20 years old, designed somewhat in the spirit of the Las Vegas resort casinos. It features a laser-light show and a huge replica of a silver mine. We enjoyed our stay there.But now, the Silver Legacy is trying to avoid defaulting on a $142M bond. The casino's owners are negotiating a restructuring of the debt.
2012 Indian Gaming Industry Report
Mar
9
2012
Alan Meister's annual report on the tribal gaming industry is out -- it's the 2012 Casino City's Indian Gaming Industry Report. As per usual, Alan's report is making the news. Here are some of the findings highlighted in the media: